Coated-paper-drying apparatus.



A. T. FOSBRAEY.

COATED PAPER DRYING APPARATUS.

l .APPLICATION FILED Aus.29, 1914.

Patented June 29, 1915 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

ALFRED THOMAS FOSBRAEY, 0F NIAGARA FALLS, NEW YRK. l

COATED-PAPER-DRYING- APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led August 29, 1914. Serial No. 8551-241.

paper, lithograph blanks, photograph paper,

wall paper, sand paper, emery paper, etc., the chief method ofdrying the paper practised in the art today is as follows, to wit:

as the paper leaves the coating machine, it

is taken and hung up in loops or festoons. The paper cannot be touched on the coated or wet side without damaging it. As the paper hangs on sticks and forms loops, it travels along a rack lying on a chain which is driven very slowly. Usually there are about three hundred sticks to each drying apparatus and they travel around and around all the time. As soon as the sticks are emptied, they are fed back into the ma-y chine. The loops vary in length from 9% feet to ifeet. The sticks are at first about 2i; feet apart' and, as the outlet side of the y apparatus is approached, the distance between the sticks is reduced to about 1 foot. This type of apparatus occupies, of necessity, considerable space. The drying rooms employing this type of apparatus with which I am familiar are usually from '250 to 300 feet long.

The principal disadvantage of the foregoing method of drying paper is inthe waste paper it produces as, in the case of light paper particularly, that isv paper weighing from 20 to 28 pounds per ream, the paper curls on the sides and causes much trouble and waste. The paper, having slack, stretches out of shape and does not lie well on the lithograph machine, and heavy paper, etc., owing to its weight cracks an checks where it hangs over the sticks. My-invention therefore has primarily for its object to lprovide a dr ing apparatus which will avoid the objectionable features above notedfandto. provide an apparatus which will b inexpensive to manufacture and maintain in eiective operation. and one in which practically all waste is eliminated.

.Generally speaking, the invention rovides a means for conveying the paper rom the coating-machine tothe winding up roller passes directly on to the infeed conveyer 3 and during-[its passage not only keep the Paper flat and taut and free from checks or cracks, but cause the moisture to be abf stracted in transit and under such favorable conditions that a more rapid drying of the paper can be attained than by the old method above mentioned.

More subordinately my invention provides a primary drying room or chamber` into which the paper is fed flat-wise from the coating machine by special intake conveyer, and in which chamber, the paper is carried fiatwise beneath a hot air duct that discharges a continuous current of hot air against the coated side of the paper. The

paper passes from the entrance to the eXit of this chamber on an endless apron, the paper lying with its uncoated side on the apron and its coated side in juxtaposition to the hot air duct. Fromthe primary drying chamber, the paper passes from a set of final drying rollers which are preferably steam heated, and then over lcooling rollers to reduce the temperature of the paper before it is vwound up on the winding up roller. The object of passing the paper through the primary drying room is to abstract suiicient moisture from the paper in a short space of time to prevent the paper from sticking to the final drying rollers.

rllhe invention also resides in those novel details of construction, combination and arrangement of parts, all of which will be iirst fully described, and then be specifically pointed -out in the appended claims, refierence being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a lvertical longitudinal section, largely diagrammatic, illustrating my apparatus. F ig.A 2 is a transverse section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical longitudinal section of the infeed conveyer. Fig. 4: is a cross section on the line 4 4 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail vside elevation, showing the manner of -driving the infeed conveyer, the drying chamber conveyer and the linal drying and cooling rollers. Fig. 6 is a detail top plan view of the parts shown in Fig. 5.

Referring now to the accompanying draw'-`- ings in which like numerals and letters of reference designate, like parts in all of the figures, 1vrepresents the coating machine4 from which the paper is conveyed to the winding up roller 2.

'From the coating machine 1, the paper which comprises a rubber endless belt 4 adjusting devices 22.

I to the conveyer 4 and from which power is having fperforatins' and passing' over rollers 5 and 6. The paper is deposited with its uncoated side on the upper section of the conveyer 4 beneath which,A upper section, suc- 5 tion boxes 7 are located in which` a partial vacuum is formed from a suitable suction duct 8, the conveyer rollers 5 and 6 being suitably mounted in bearings on a frame work, as shown. Y

9 is the primary. dryingchamber through 'tlieenti'ance'24 of'whi'ch 'the paper is projected bythe conveyer -4 onto the endless canvas belt `or conveyer 23. The prim drying chamber 9 is provided with doors 10 throughwhich access may be had to the v interior of the chamber and is also provided with windows 11, through which the interior operations may be viewed.

l 12 designates the hot air duct which is preferably in section and forms the top of perforations 13'through whicha blast of dry hot air may be directed. onto the upper orcoated surface ofthe paper as it passes beneath the duct 12 over the conveyer 23. The hot air` is delivered-to the duct 12 from a suitable source, via the conduit 14 and the moist airis removed fromthe chamber 9 byv a duct 15`, located in the bottom of the chamber and having apertures 1.6 and a conduit 17 through which the moist air isv withdrawn.

,u 18 and 19 designate the main rollers over which the belt 23 is passed, the belt also vpassing over the idlers 2O and tension idlers 21, the latter, being provided -with suitable 26. designates a suitable frame work hvhich I supports the final drying rollers 27 into which steam is led throughthe medium of steampi es 28 from ar suitablesource of supply. here may be any'num'ber of steam drums or rollers 27, as conditions may make desirable, arid from these final drying drums 27, vthe paper passes onto cooling drums 29 into which aesuitable cooling fluid is conyeyefll by pipe 30 from a suitable source of su l 'PI main drive is obtained from the coatving machine 1 and is applied by a belt 32 taken to o erate the conveyer 23 by means ofcone p leys 33-34 'and belt connections 31-35 and counter-shafts 42and a belt 36, and the rollers 27, and 29 through the medium of gearing 38 and a belt 37, and cone pulleys 39 from a counter-shaft 40, that is belted at 41 to the counter-shaft 42.

f I prefer to make the pulleys 33, 34, and39 as cone pulleys in order that the proper relative Aadjustment in speed of operatlon between the conveyers 4, 23 and belt gears 38 may be made to suit the requirement of the particular work desired, as certain papers shrink more than others at certain stages the chamber v9 and which is provided with of-then operauons and hence it is advisable the paper as it passes from the coating machine to the winding up rollers and at the same time keep the paper at all times flat,

and taut, and prevent the same from curling or rolling up. Furthermore there are no sharp bends in the passage taken by the paper and hence the paper will not crack or check From the foregoing description, taken in connection withthe accompanying drawings,

itis thought the complete construction, operation and advantages of my lnvention will be readily understood by those skilled in the A art to which it appertains.

What I claim is 1. A paper drying apparatus comprising an infeed conveyer, a hot air drying chamber, a conveyer in said chamber on which the paper is carried through the chamber,

means in said chamber for blowing a current of air over the coated side of said paper and a set of heated final drying rolls over which said paper passes on leaving said chamber.

2. A paper drying apparatus comprising an infeed conveyer, a hot air drying chamber, a conveyer in said chamber on which the paperis carried through the chamber,

means in said chamber'fr'blowing a current of air over the coated side of said paper and a set of heated( final drying rolls over which said paper passeson leaving said chamber, and -avset of cooling rolls over which said paper passes `on leaving said drying rolls. v

3. In an apparatus of the'class des-dribed,

a drying chamber, an endlessbelt conveyer within said chamber, an infeed conveyer on the outside of said chamber for carrying a paper strip into the chamber onto'theendless belt, a hot air duct within said chamber located above said endless conveyer to direct a' current ofhot air onto said paper, an oil'- take duct for conveying away the moist air from the chamber, said chamber having the interior working may be viewed.

4. In an apparatus of the class described, a drying chamber, an endless belt conveyer within said chamber, an infeed conveyer on transparencies in its walls through which the outside of-said chamber for carrying a y 'paper strip into the chamber onto the endiso` less belt, a hot air duct within said chamber rect a current of hot air onto said paper, an oftake duct for conveyin away the moist air from the chamber, sai chamber having transparencies in its walls through which the interior working may be viewed, and means for adjusting the tension of said endless conveyer whereby to maintain that portion which carries the paper in a horizontal plane.

5. In an apparatus of the class described,

a drying chamber, an endless belt conveyerwithin said chamber, an infeed conveyer on the outside of said chamber for carrying a paper strip into the chamber onto the endless belt, a hot air duct within said chamber located above said endless conveyer to direct a current of hot air onto said paper, an

olf-take duct for conveying away the moist air from the chamber, said chamber having transparencies in its Walls through which the interior working may be viewed, and' a set of final drying rolls arranged in staggered succession over and under which the paper passes -upon leaving said chamber, means for applying heat to said inal drying rolls and means for driving said rolls and said conveyers.

G. ln an apparatus of the class described, a drying chamber, an endless belt conveyer within said chamber, an infeed conveyer on the outside of said chamber for carrying a paper strip into the chamber onto the endless belt, a hot air duct within said chamber located above said endless conveyer to direct a current of hot air ontosaid paper, an oli'- take duct for conveying away the moist air from the chamber, said chamber having transparencies in its 'walls through which the interior working may be viewed, and means for adjusting the tension of said endless conveyer whereby to maintain that portion which carries the paper in a horizontal plane and a set of final drying rolls arranged in staggered succession over and under which the paper passes upon leaving said chamber, means for applying heat to said nal drying rolls and means for driving said rolls and said conveyers.

7. ln an apparatus of the class described, a drying chamber, an endless belt conveyer within said chamber, an infeed conveyer on the outside of said4 chamber for carrying a paper strip into the chamber onto the endless belt, a hot air duct within said chamber located above said endless conveyer to direct a current of hot air onto said paper, p

an oE-take duct lfor conveying away the moist air from the chamber, said chamber having transparencies in-its walls through which the interior working may be viewed, and a set of final drying rolls arranged in staggered succession over and under which the paper passes upon leaving said chamber, means for applying heat to said final drying rolls and means for driving said rolls and said conveyers, said driving means comprising a pulley, a power transmitting connection between said pulley and said final drying rolls, a` power transmitting connection with said endless conveyer within the chamber and a power transmitting connection with said infeed conveyer.

8. In an apparatus of the class described, a drying chamber, an endless belt conveyer within said chamber, an infeed conveyer on the outside of said chamber for carrying a paper strip into the chamber onto the endless belt, a hot air duct within said chamber located above said endless conveyer to direct a current of hot air onto said paper, an offtake duct for conveying away the moist air from the chamber, said chamber having transparencies in its Walls through which the interior working may be viewed, and means for adjusting the tension of said endless conveyer whereby to maintain that portion which carries the paper in a horizontal plane and a set of final drying rolls arranged in staggered succession over and under which the paper passes upon leaving said chamber, means for applying heat to said final drying rolls and means for driving said rolls and said conveyers, said driving means comprising a main drive pulley, a power transmitting connection between said pulley and said nal drying rolls, a power transmitting connection with said endless conveyer within the chamber and a power transmitting connection with said infeed conve er.

ALFRED THOMAS FOSBRAEY. Witnesses:

JAMES W. CANARAN, JAMES MULLANE. 

